I Remember You by Harriet Evans Page A

film. ‘It were ever so sweet. We all thought so.’
    ‘Mick,’ Adam said firmly, coming up for air. ‘Leave it.’ He smiled shamefacedly across at Tess and she shook her head, smiling back at him in embarrassment.
    ‘Aah,’ Francesca said, and patted them both on the back. ‘That is so sweet. Now, Mick,’ she said, getting down to business. ‘This roast with all the trimmings, what is it?’
    ‘Chicken, did it myself this afternoon,’ said Mick.
    ‘Great,’ said Francesca. ‘I’ll have just the chicken, and a green salad— no iceberg please—and some of that potato salad you made for lunch if you can lay your hands on any? And I want a glass of the Chablis—shall we just get a bottle?’Adam and Tess nodded mutely at her. ‘That’s that, then!’ she said happily, as Mick scribbled away and then turned to Tess.
    ‘Er…’ Tess said, at a loss. ‘Er…Same for me?’
    ‘No problemo,’ Mick said, scribbling it down with a flourish.
    ‘I’ll have the fish and chips, please, Mick,’ said Adam. ‘And a pint of Butcombe when you’ve got a minute, but I’ll have a glass for the wine just in case. Need a hand?’
    ‘No, you’re all right,’ said Mick, and he walked off. Francesca turned back to them.
    ‘That’s adorable. So you were boyfriend and girlfriend?’
    ‘No,’ said Tess, a little bit too quickly. Adam glanced at her.
    ‘No,’ he echoed. ‘Just—when we were little, five or six. That’s what some of us—’ he glared at Tess, before grinning at her—‘used to go around saying.’
    ‘So the two of you never…’ Francesca made a strange flapping gesture with her hands. Tess and Adam both stared at her, then at each other, in bewilderment.
    ‘Joined a hand puppet society?’ Adam said. ‘No. We never joined a hand puppet society together.’
    ‘You know what I mean,’ Francesca said.
    ‘No, I don’t,’ Adam said, shaking his head at her wickedly. ‘What?’
    ‘I don’t know…’ Francesca had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Had a little teenage romance when you were younger. I don’t know,’ she repeated. She looked at Tess. ‘Come on, you must have thought about it, at one stage or another.’
    ‘Not really,’ said Tess.
    ‘Er—no,’ said Adam. He shook his head.
    ‘So you never had a moment? You’ve just always been friends?’ She shook her head. ‘That’s weird.’
    They were both silent.
    ‘It may be, but it is true,’ said Tess eventually, aware she sounded very prim.
    ‘Yeah, nosy girl,’ Adam told Francesca, and she nodded.
    ‘I believe you. Thousands wouldn’t.’ Tess took a sip of herdrink, and Adam did the same. As if realizing the conversation needed changing, Francesca said, ‘So. It’s always quiet around here, you say? No crazy rock festivals down the road or anything?’
    ‘I don’t knew about that,’ Tess began, and then there was a loud noise, and the door to the pub across the bar flew open, banging loudly against the wall, and a middle-aged man burst in, palming his hair firmly onto his shiny forehead as he hurried into the bar.
    ‘A’right, Mick!’ he called loudly to the landlord, pushing a stool out of the way and knocking over a chair.
    ‘A’right, Ron,’ said Mick.
    ‘Meeting’s starting in five minutes, that all right with you?’
    ‘No probs,’ said Mick. ‘Not many people in tonight, anyway, you can have the place to yours—’
    ‘Save the water meadows!’ Ron shouted suddenly, with enormous vigour. Francesca jumped; Tess dropped the fork with which she had been toying. Even the more stoic Adam blinked in surprise.
    ‘All right, Ron?’ he called. ‘How’s it going?’
    Ron turned around at that. ‘ ‘Ullo, Adam!’ he said, coming forward. ‘Good to see you! It’s been a while, you all right?’ He peered, mole-like, at Tess. ‘Hullo there, Tess.’ Tess held up her hand, and Ron’s gaze moved from her to Francesca, and turned back to Adam. ‘Right you are,’ he said to him, clearly